I’ve been having a wonderful birthday month. (A little joke but I mean why not?) I went for tacos, a hike, and to a folk music festival with my kids. Bob and I drove to Oklahoma to visit my Mom and sister. I got to stop over at Bonny’s on the way there. I went to a yarn shop in Oklahoma City with a yarn-bombed bicycle in the window and — yes — bought yarn with birthday money. I even finished knitting a project!
We visited my Mom.I got to see Bonny and a haunted winery.I finished Freya’s purple Lodge Sweater. She loves it!
I am keeping up with my Celtic Mists mystery knitalong. The designer makes the clues short and sweet! While I love alpaca’s softness and drape, I normally prefer wool for elasticity. But the way this yarn is spun keeps it springy. I love working with it!
I started another beanie on the trip with yarnmama’ssuperwash merino in Damson Plum. Another yarn outlier for me, this superwash is lofty and buoyant. I’m a fan! And the color is royal.
No frogs have shown up in my pond this year, but never mind. My sister gifted one to me for my birthday. We call him Okie.
I’m nearing the shoulder seams on Freya’s purple Lodge sweater. This is pretty much the only thing I’ve been knitting on. I need to start Bob’s Knitter’s Dude soon, so I can work on it over the summer. It’s cotton and acrylic yarn, so should be nice to work on in warmer weather, and it will hopefully be done in time for his birthday in September.
Sewing
Sometimes I leave notes for myself.
I’ve cut out a second pair of Casual Cotton pants in navy stretch cotton twill. I omitted the seam allowances. I’m hoping to get some sewing time on them today. Will they fit? Who knows? I’m wearing my gray ones today even though they are too big. They are super comfy. I was hoping to be able to sew some shorts with the remnants, but I don’t have enough fabric for that.
Gardening
My seedlings are looking good, though a few have given up the ghost. I’ve enjoyed mustard, kale, and daikon radish greens as I thin them out. The peas are up!
The Chinese Celery Cabbage (like Napa Cabbage) does not like the hot sun. I suspect the growing season will be short for them. I may try to plant them in the shade of the cucumbers to extend their time in the garden, but I’ve already planted lettuce there, so we’ll see.
I saw cabbage moths today, but I’m way ahead of them. I covered the greens with netting last week. Foiled!
I’ve been spending a lot of time clearing the woods in front of our house of invasive honeysuckle and black walnut saplings. The apple trees are blooming!
Reading
This month I read The Orkney Scroll by Lyn Hamilton. I decided I needed to read a cozy located in Orkney. This book fit the bill. It was fine. I was glad when it was over. There were some redundancies. It was as if her editor told her she should write a chapter at the end explaining everything that had happened.
Here is the song I’m currently listening to on repeat:
Since there has been a little confusion, I thought I would write a post about the name change so I don’t accidentally lose anyone. I’ve decided on Snakes and Cranes because these are animals I feel a kinship with, and what they represent.
Psychology Today says, “…snakes are close to the ground and shed their skins, making them symbols of the nourishing earth, the underworld, rebirth, immortality and creativity—and, by extension, of culture and wisdom.” We saw a snake in the yard a day or so after I decided on the name change, and it was the first we’d seen after living here for three years. I felt like it was a sign. And, as you may know, my garden path is a winding snake of stones.
Cranes symbolize luck, grace, balance, loyalty, longevity, and transformation. I once had a dream I was a flying crane, and I’ve been fascinated by them ever since. Here’s a great post by World Birds on Crane symbolism.
My choice of this title is an effort to be true to myself and my voice. (My word for 2023 is “voice.”) I have had some feedback that this name does not reflect knitting or fiber arts, and I appreciate the feedback. However, this is not just a knitting blog. It’s a personal blog that features a lot of knitting, but also sewing, gardening, baking, sustainability, nature, books, movies, history, the paranormal, life — basically whatever I feel like blogging about. I also follow many knitting and fiber art blogs that don’t include the topic in the title, so I don’t feel beholden to that convention.
Most importantly, I need this to be a place where I want to spend time writing and sharing my thoughts. HeadKnits wasn’t that place anymore. I’d like to think my head is now blocked and seamed with the ends woven in — ready to wear! Even so, the wisdom of the snake tells us it’s a never ending cycle, so please don’t mind me while I shed my skin. And I hope you’ll stick around! I am really grateful for the community of bloggers I’ve met here.
Just for fun, here are some other names I considered:
I’ve made progress this week on Powdermill. I’m enjoying this knit. Nothing like straightforward, repetitive colorwork to keep you going. (I’m giving Arrowhead side-eye.) Also, this yarn is scrumptious. I’m glad I have a stash full of it!
I’m also up to 12 inches on the body of the purple Lodge Sweater. It’s my mindless knitting. However, spring is coming, and I’m starting to shift my focus to sewing.
This week I finished sewing my Ottobre casual cotton pants. I can’t wait to wear them. It’s still too cold for this cotton twill, which is a medium weight. I’m planning to sew another pair in navy stretch twill, and then Simplicity s9376 in black brushed cotton twill.
The new Ottobre has a lovely summer top pattern, and it only takes 1.5 yards for my size. I have some cotton prints in mind for this from stash. The polka dot was a gift from BonnyKnits, and the batiks are fair trade from Global Mamas in Ghana.
I continue to alter my sewing plan (see what I did there?) as I assess my wardrobe needs.
Spinning
I finished spinning my Pumpkins for Sale BFL fiber. This was my first time chain plying, and I enjoyed it. My spinning is getting more even, but I still have a long way to go.
It looks good with the yarn I spun from the same fiber, and dyed orange. (I was exhausting a dye bath.) These plus one more color will knit up a nice Shift cowl in the fall. I have more BFL fiber in stash to spin. What color should I dye it to go with these? Maybe russet, or olive green? I’d like the cowl to be made completely from hand spun. Let me know your opinions on the color in the comments.
DIY Hair Care
I thought I was on the right track with my homemade hair care products. But after a few weeks, my hair started feeling like straw. I’m back to purchasing products. Maybe if I get a good crop of soapwort this year, I can try again with that.
Gardening
It’s still too cold to start seeds or plant peas. I hope it warms up soon!
I’ve got a good start on my Casual Cotton Pants. Right now I’m waiting on a matching zipper to arrive to sew the fly. I had a gray zipper that was too light, and a black zipper that was too dark. I could have tried to make do, but zippers are under $2 and I know I will use those other zippers some day. Normally I serge the seams, but in the interest of being able to alter these should I lose any more weight, I decided to serge the edges of the waistband pieces and stitch them together. They will be easier to unpick that way.
Knitting
Clue 3 dropped on Who Ya Gonna Shawl? but I’m still knitting Clue 1. I love these colors together. I’m not sure I’m knitting the stitches correctly, and they don’t look like the spoiler pic. It may be because I chose a dark contrast color instead of a light one. Ultimately, I don’t think it really matters. Ghosts or Galaga? Who cares, right? I’ll keep working on this as the mood strikes. I honestly don’t know how people keep up with mystery knitalongs like this. There are some fast knitters out there!
I’m a little down on knitting right now. After finishing Arrowhead (which I ironically call “my opus” to myself) I guess I need a little break. I’ve been thinking about picking up a long languishing project, or even casting on something new from stash. Or, I might spin for a while.
Have a great week, YOPpers! Sorry not sorry about the title. Bob and I watched Weird: the Al Yankovic Story last week and I can’t stop thinking about it.
Sizing: it is slightly too large. The sleeves are too long. But since it is a jacket, and I’m short, I did modify it to fit me better. I thought about ripping out the cuffs and a couple of inches of knitting on the sleeves, and then reknitting the cuffs. But I have noticed my sweaters start to felt when I spin them in the washer to get the excess water out. If this starts to felt, I’d like a little leeway in the sizing. My Ranunculus arms are bracelet length now, which I’m not crazy about. I’m always pulling on them. So I think I’ll leave this as is. It’s cozy.
I’m pleased with this facing technique. Instead of covering the steek edges with ribbon, you pick up stitches and knit stockinette a few rows to cover it, then sew it down. I will be using this technique in the future, for sure. Overall, I’m surprised I didn’t make any mistakes. I did have a few errors, but was able to fix them. I may enter it in the State Fair.
And can I take a moment to sing the praises of Icelandic wool? It’s lightweight, warm, and surprisingly soft. No, you wouldn’t want to wear it next to the skin. But over a shirt, it’s great!
Sewing
I applied for a second part-time job last week, and even though I don’t know if I will get it or not, I’ve realized I need some business casual wear. I think I should get on those Audrey Pants in brushed black cotton. If they turn out well, I can sew another pair in gray cotton twill.
Reading
I finished Keeper of the Queen’s Jewels. I liked it. I gave it four stars on Goodreads. I’m on track to finish 12 books this year, which is a hilarious goal. I do have other books partially read as well, if I can bother to finish them.
This week I sewed an outfit from lightweight merino wool jersey. I got this fabric for a great price on Etsy. I think the seller was clearing out the 100% merino, or maybe because it’s lightweight. Anyway, I knew I wanted some black wool wide-legged pants for spring. I only needed two yards for that, and I still eked out a Tekura Tee to match. The pants are from the Ottobre PJ pants pattern. I think one leg may be just a skosh longer than the other, but I’m not sure I care enough to do anything about it.
A few new sewing patterns have caught my eye, and I’ve updated my project list with them. I’m also losing weight (not intentionally, just happening from medication and diet changes) so I’m pushing back any tailored pant sewing until my weight levels out. But I’m already excited about sewing new linen garments from my stash.
Knitting
I’ve finished knitting the sleeves on Arrowhead. I’m ready to knit the armhole facings, and then I can pick up and knit the collar. After that, just the collar facing to go! I can’t believe I’m nearing the finish line on this project.
Other than that, I’ve started The Who Ya Gonna Shawl knitalong, and am nearing the end of the hem ribbing on Freya’s Lodge Sweater.
DIY Hair Products
My homemade shampoo is working great. It’s a simple recipe of water, Castile soap, and argan oil. The conditioner is also working, but I think I may be able to skip this step and simply use a little argan oil on my hair after towel drying, at least while it’s this short. I may also experiment with an herbal hair rinse, possibly with marshmallow root since it’s emollient. (Cue to me looking in the garden for someplace to grow marshmallow. I’ve always loved the look of the plant. Now I have a reason.)
I’ve primarily been focusing on my Arrowhead cardigan. I’ve steeked the front, and am close to the cuff on the sleeves. After that, there will only be finishing left to do! I expect that will take me a week or two, as there are facings in addition to cuff and neckline ribbing to knit. I am really looking forward to finishing and wearing this cardi!
I played around with my new Addi Express knitting machine. There’s good news and bad news.
Afterthought Heel
The bad news is that it knits worsted weight yarn too loosely to make a usable fabric, unless you want air and drape. The good news is I think I can make slippers and mittens in aran and bulky weight yarns. I could use scraps and quickly knit these for myself and my family. I really need to work on my afterthought heel, though, as it’s too shallow.
The other bad news is that the machine is persnickety about which yarns it will knit successfully. I will have to experiment, but I think it prefers a smoother yarn. I don’t knit with acrylic, so it will be interesting to see if I can make it work with my wooly scraps. I’ll keep you posted!
I’ve progressed a few inches on my Arrowhead sleeves. I try to knit four rounds on each sleeve every day, which is a decrease repeat, but missed the last two days. I’m going to try to make it up today.
Freya liked my Lodge sweater so much, she asked me to knit her one with a few modifications. I told her it would have to be her birthday present. She wanted purple yarn, so we picked out this Cascade 220 superwash together in Purple Heather.
Dyeing
I wanted to join in on the Who Ya Gonna Shawl? knitalong, but needed the yarn to come from my stash. I decided on 80’s neon with this skein of black and red variegated, which I overdyed to be solid black, for the contrast.
To exhaust the dye bath, I grabbed a variegated skein from my stash which I’ve never liked. I think the resulting yarn is lovely: a deep charcoal with hints of the blue, yellow, and pink showing through. I see a beanie in my future.
Sewing
I did sew my PJ pants in the floral flannel I shared last time. They came out great. I only had flimsy elastic, but in the spirit of using it up, I serged the elastic directly to the fabric edge to prevent it from rolling. I also sewed this gift bag for Bob’s Valentine’s Day present.
DIY Hair Care
I like natural skin and hair care products, but they are so expensive. I decided to start making my own. Today I made a natural conditioner from avocado and argan oils, emulsifying wax, and water. It seems good, but the real test will be how it performs on my hair tomorrow. I also made some beard oil for my middle child (another March birthday gift) based on his favorite kind, which he says is too expensive. This is a mixture of avocado, jojoba, and argan oils, which was easy. I scented both with bergamot and amyris essential oils. Next up is shampoo with Bob’s homemade castile soap, argan oil, and water. I found this website with some great recipes. Once I get the basics down, I’ll start experimenting with other ingredients, like aloe gel from my aloe vera plants and soapwort from my garden.
Gardening
Gardening is hard work.
We had a couple of nice days this week, so I spent some time in the garden. I made a dent in the weeds and managed to get daikon radish, lettuce, kale, broccolini, and mustard planted under the greenhouse. Today, Bob and I moved the Elderberry bush out of the garden and into the yard. It was getting too big where it was, but not getting enough sun to flower. Hopefully it will do better in the yard. We picked a place where the drainage will keep the ground moist like it likes.
Yesterday, Bob and I had our Valentine’s date. We went to our favorite theater to watch Saturday Morning Cartoons: Cupid Edition. It included old cartoons from our childhood plus old commercials. Some were before our time. Included were Underdog, Pink Panther, Popeye, Schoolhouse Rock, and an oldie from the 1930’s. This one made me cry nostalgia tears. It was fun seeing them on the big screen. Then we went out for Thai food. I just received my gift, which is an Addi Express knitting machine! I’ll play around with it and report back later.
Snakes & Cranes 
